Industry led inspections risk quality of NZ meat

Moves by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) to allow meat companies to do their own inspections will put human health and overseas markets at risk, says the Public Service Association (PSA).

Meat inspection is currently carried out by independent inspectors from state-owned enterprise AsureQuality but the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) wants meat companies to take over inspection tasks currently performed by independent meat inspectors.

Those tasks include checking for faecal contamination, wounds and bruises, chronic pleurisy, chronic peritonitis, grass seed, parasitic protozoa, and tapeworms.

“Meat companies are primarily interested in maximising profits and cutting costs. Allowing them to inspect their own product is absurd and will fail to protect consumers’ health and the high quality reputation New Zealand meat has overseas,” says PSA National Secretary Richard Wagstaff.

Trials to transfer meat inspection to meat companies are scheduled to begin next month at three plants; the Alliance Mataura, Affco Imlay and Silver Fern Farms Pareora

“Independent meat inspectors are already resented by meat companies for carrying out their role. If much of that role is given over to company workers the power of inspectors to pull potentially contaminated and diseased meat from a production line is greatly reduced.

“Meat inspectors are working in the best interests of all parties: farmers who send their stock to be processed can be assured that it will be inspected and if necessary trimmed with integrity and overseas the quality and independence of our inspection process makes New Zealand meat a trusted high quality brand,” says Richard Wagstaff.

PSA members who work as meat inspectors for AsureQuality are considering a boycott of the trials.

Export markets like the European Union insist on meat inspection being carried out by independent government officials. The PSA questions if overseas markets have even been alerted to the NZFSA’s plans to change inspection practices.

The NZFSA’s director of market access Tony Zohrab says the trials are part of a push to align the export meat sector with global best-practice of meat hygiene.

“This is misleading and defies logic as this initiative can only result in a reduction in quality of meat inspections and meat products,” says Richard Wagstaff.

ENDS

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